Always so frank, Álvaro Cepero has lost none of its verve. 34 years, the Andalusian player makes a surprise return in Spanish team for the 2025 European Championship, disputed at The Line of the Conception, very close to his hometown, San Fernando. Surprise guest of Juanjo Gutiérrez, Cepero spoke without filter in an interview for Capital Radio, taken over by SPORTS.

An unexpected and emotional return

"Playing in Andalusia and in the Spanish jersey is very emotional.”, confides Cepero. “Juanjo told me that it was a reward for my consistency this season, not a sentimental choice.” The Spaniard, who thought he had turned the page on the national team “since 2017”, said he was “surprised but honored” by this call-up.

Alongside Juanlu Esbri, he has already achieved a first solid success against Great Britain (6/2 7/5). And despite the weight of the years, Cepero assures that he approaches the competition “with the same desire as a young player”.

“There are cynical and hypocritical players”

Without hesitation, Cepero did not hesitate to tackle some colleagues on the circuit :

“There are a lot of very cynical and hypocritical players. They complain about the schedule, the injuries, but the following week they're on the slopes for a well-paid exhibition. In the end, it's all about the money for them. I won't name names, but everyone knows exactly who I'm talking about.”

The Cadiz player denounces a double discourse which, according to him, undermines the credibility of professionals:

“It disgusts me, because they are shooting themselves in the foot while complaining to Premier Padel or FIP.”

“The FIP does not promote the European Championship”

Cepero also took the opportunity to criticize the FIP and its “saturated and incoherent” schedule:

“We want to give importance to the European Championship, but at the same time we're awarding FIP Silver points this week. It's absurd. Players like the Deus brothers, José Diestro, or Álex Ruiz could earn points elsewhere, but here, nothing counts.”

A situation that he considers “lamentable”, because it deprives players of the opportunity to defend their points and maintain their level in the world ranking:

“You represent your country, but you lose opportunities to move up the rankings. And for some, it affects their contracts with their sponsors. It's unacceptable.”

“The Premier/FIP system is a hellish mountain”

According to him, the 2026 season looks even more complicated:

“They want to shorten the tables and give more points in the FIP. It's madness. Next season is going to be an even bigger mountain.”

The Spanish player pleads for participation limits according to the ranking:

“Anyone who wins two Platinums shouldn't be able to win any more. There need to be caps. Otherwise, the same people are monopolizing all the points.”

“No one has the courage to confront the system”

Looking back at the players' protest movement at the start of the season (Gijón and Cancún), Cepero believes that the lack of unity reduced the revolt to nothing:

“No one has had the courage to face everything that is wrong. Premier Padel does not even respect its own regulations, but when it is the player who violates them, he is sanctioned.”

The Andalusian admits having left the Players' Association :

“I signed up at first, but I left when I saw that it was chaos. Today I am free, happy, and I don't depend on anyone. The association should become a real solid structure, capable of helping players without going through Premier Padel. "

On Lebrón: “He had a heat stroke, but he’s not an example”

Cepero also reacted to the controversy surrounding Juan Lebrón and his altercation with a referee in Milan:

“I understand the heated reaction, but he can't disrespect the referee. He's not an example for the sport. And I also don't like it when his opponents take advantage of it to add insult to injury and make him the 'bad guy' on duty.”

But the Andalusian does not spare the officials either:

“The level of FIP referees leaves a lot to be desired. If a supervisor can send off a player, he should also be able to sanction a referee who doesn't do his job.”

A Cepero true to himself

With strong positions, Álvaro Cepero remains true to his reputation: a player who doesn't mince his words, who says out loud what many think quietly. A few weeks before becoming a father, he approaches the end of the season with lucidity and a good dose of realism:

“I'm happy to be here, to represent my country, but the authorities need to listen to the players. Otherwise, this sport is heading straight for disaster.”

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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